


you wrote the perfect page

by SkyRose



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Asexual Character, Character Study, First Kiss, Kissing in the Rain, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Short One Shot, this is all very vague but it's post ep1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-30
Updated: 2017-01-30
Packaged: 2018-09-20 20:59:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9515666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyRose/pseuds/SkyRose
Summary: All it took was a glimpse of short red hair to cause Jughead to turn back around and focus on his computer. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Archie’s girl nonsense. He never was, really.Jughead's been dealing with some feelings over the summer. Archie still thinks they're friends for some reason.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I watched the first episode because of Cole Sprouse but I actually really enjoyed it in all it's cliche high school drama nonsense. I wanted to get a fic out for this show early, and this pairing needed some love. I know pretty much nothing about the Archie Comics, only what I read on wiki, so these probably aren't very faithful adaptations. I'm going off what I saw on the first episode. Enjoy!
> 
> (PS As to be expected from me, this is not edited.)
> 
> ((PPS Oh, and the title is from Great American Novel by Max Jury!))
> 
> EDIT: a lovely person translated this fic into Russian, you can read that version [ here! ](https://ficbook.net/readfic/5196621)

Jughead had gotten used to it all; sitting alone at Pop Tate’s, eating until his pockets were empty, and tapping away at his Mac’s keyboard. He’d sit there all night, or at least until Pop shooed him out. It was always ridiculously late by than. He never was concerned by wandering the town so late, but he wasn’t stupid. With this mess with Jason, he knew to get to point a to point b within a reasonable time frame. When he finally arrived at home, Hot Dog would usually start barking and wake up his sister, and madness broke out throughout the house. It was a routine, everything was a routine in this small town hell.

That night, it was raining and he’d already eaten himself broke. He was comfortably slumped over his laptop as he wrote and occasionally stopped to wiggle the unraveling charger he had plugged in. The headphones jack had been busted a month ago, so now he had to write in silence. He easily drowned out the sound of rain hitting the window and the soft jazz Pop had playing. He was forced to turn around when the little front door bell jingled to let Jughead and Pop that someone else had just arrived. 

All it took was a glimpse of short red hair to cause Jughead to turn back around and focus on his computer. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Archie’s girl nonsense. He never was, really. Archie ordered a burger from Pop before he approached Jughead’s booth. The redhead was staring down at Jughead with a questioning look, so Jughead gave him a small nod. Archie slid into the seat across Jughead. 

“You don’t miss me at all?” Archie asked, forcing Jughead to look up at him from his computer screen. 

Jughead chuckled. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”

“I miss you,” Archie sheepishly admits. “I think Bett—”

Jughead reached over the table and pressed his hand to Archie’s lips to stop the name from fully leaving his mouth. Archie’s eyes widened at it and Jughead stared intently at him. “I have a challenge, I’d like to not hear about any of your girlfriends tonight, or I’m leaving.”

“It’s raining,” Archie says, his voice muffled by the hand still covering his mouth, and nods towards to window currently being assaulted with water.

“I’m aware,” Jughead deadpans.

“Fine, fine,” Archie agrees, but before Jughead can retract his hand in time Archie’s sloppily licking his hand.

“Ack!” Jughead exclaims, dramatically wiping the saliva on Archie’s jacket as its owner grins. 

“Is there any reason that you don’t want to talk about…?” Archie questions.

“I understand you have a hard time believing this, but not all of us are controlled by our dicks,” Jughead answered. “And you’re actually decent when you’re not talking about the opposite sex.”

“Ouch,” Archie replied. “I forgot how painfully truthful you can be.”

“Then you are in for a long night, Andrews.” Jughead attempted to slip back into silence and focus on writing when Pop brought Archie his food, but Archie reached over and closed the laptop on his fingers. Jughead glared at him.

“If I can’t talk about you-know-what then you have to put that thing away,” Archie requested. 

Jughead sighed, but silently agreed when he put his laptop into his bag. “You’d better have something damn interesting to talk about because I’m leaving in five minutes if you don’t.”

“Always so demanding, aren’t you princess?” Archie laughed. The nickname urged Jughead to rip off his signature beanie of his head. He didn’t, of course.

“For that, three minutes,” Jughead snapped. 

“For the record, I’m here because I’m bored. I don’t have any exciting news for you,” Archie explained, leaning back against his seat. 

“Bored? With your busy life?” 

“Homework’s done, currently fighting with all my friends, which includes you, and it’s too wet outside to bother with any football practice,” Archie listed, his eyes staring out into the rainy night.

“Music?” Jughead reminded. 

Archie shrugged. “Been wanting to spend some time with you.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Jughead sarcastically responded.

“You don’t have to be a dick,” Archie laughed and tilted his head up to stare at the ceiling.

Jughead sat quietly and stared at Archie. He really had grown a lot over the summer. The boy was hardly the geeky ginger Jughead had been close friends with for so long. Archie, for some reason, thought they still were friends. Jughead knew that they would never be friends again, at least not like they had been. Jughead was well aware of this fact ever since that aching dread panged inside him every time he looked at Archie started. It had begun so quietly, a ominous whisper in the back of his mind he paid no attention too, but it had soon grown into the horrible nauseating feeling in his stomach and the loud thumping in his chest. It was hard to keep his eyes on Archie any longer than five seconds, but he had managed the night so far. The calming percussion of the rain and how long Jughead had managed to keep Archie at quite farther the an arm’s distance away these past week helped. 

This feeling Jughead had been plagued with was one of the killers of their friendship. As well as Archie’s oversharing when it came to females. It was not that Jughead hated girls because they were girls. Jughead liked to think he hated all sexes equally. It was that he knew that whatever Archie was feeling, he was not. Jughead did not look at a pretty girl like Betty, or Veronica, or even, god forbid, Cheryl and get this urge that Archie seemed so controlled by. He did not get this feeling when he looked at Archie, either. It was clear to Jughead it was not an issue of gender, rather, it was an issue of attraction. 

Jughead, through research on his laptop, was nearly positive he was asexual. It all just made sense, when he finally pieced it together. His only drop of doubt of that feeling he got when Archie was around. He didn’t think it was sexual attraction, but… He wouldn’t know until he tried? Shame he wasn’t reckless enough to try something like that. He could lean over the table in between them easily and smash their mouths together, just to see. Maybe he’d finally get that feeling that Archie constantly craved. 

Jughead’s heart was beating too fast, how could Archie not hear it? Was he having a fucking heart attack? Was he to die here? In a room reeking of grease and in front of his ex-best friend? 

“I need to go,” Jughead suddenly said, speedily sliding out of his seat and slipping his bag onto his shoulder. Archie stood up and marched after him attempting to tug him backwards by his elbow. 

“Jughead? What’s wrong?” Archie asked as he followed Jughead towards the exit.

“I’m tired,” Jughead lied, pushing the door open and rushing out into the rain. The weather was so heavy it nearly hurt. The mud was somewhat slippery but Jughead’s firm, angry footsteps kept him upright.

“C’mon, dude, let’s at least wait for the rain to let up a bit before walking home,” Archie tried to reason, yanking Jughead backwards. Jughead stumbled a bit, and Archie hurriedly helps him reorientate himself. 

This was the exact opposite of what Jughead wanted. Yet, there he was, standing face to face with Archie Andrews, his hand gripping Jughead’s arms, and in the painfully romantic rain. Jughead stood frozen, his mouth open in surprise. The rain rolled down their faces as they stared at each other.

“You okay?” Archie finally asked. Jughead doesn’t really hear it, but he sees the redhead’s mouth move and guesses that’s what came from his lips. Jughead nods, still slightly entranced in the glistening rain coating his friend’s skin and hair. 

“I’m sorry,” Jughead admitted, his chest feeling too heavy and needing the release something. 

“For what?” Archie questioned, leaning closer because of how hoarse Jughead’s voice is.

“I just got tired about hearing about her and all your feelings. I got feelings to deal with too, you know?” Jughead explained vaguely.

“Oh, you know you can always tell me?” Archie replied, his hand slipping of Jughead’s arm to grab his hand. 

Jughead shakes his head. “Like you’d listen.”

“I would. Or, I would try?”

“You’ve always been a horrible listener,” Jughead countered.

“And you’re a great one. That’s why we work.” Archie smiled at him. “Or, did.”

“We still do,” Jughead confessed.

“Yeah?” Archie looked over the fucking moon, and Jughead was sick of bottling everything up. It was a dangerous combination, gleeful Archie and uncontrolled Jughead. It was how they ended up leaning forward, friendly smiling in what appeared to be just a brotherly embrace, but quickly turned into something else when Archie’s eyes dipped down to Jughead’s lips. There it was, that look. The one he got whenever he was chatting on about some pretty girl. His eyes got dark and playful, yet Jughead never felt so serious in his teenage life. Archie gripped Jughead’s hand tighter and lifted his other hand to cup Jughead’s cheek. Archie moved closer, and Jughead did the same, and they were kissing. 

Due to the rain, it was much more wet than the few kisses Jughead had before with over-affectionate girls. Archie moved against him with perfected ease that certainly had a story behind it, because, as far as Jughead knew, Archie had about as much experience with kissing as Jughead did. 

That feeling, in Jughead’s stomach and heart and brain and nearly everywhere, wasn’t sexual. It didn’t grow to be that either, as Archie gripped his hips and moved even closer. Archie was certainly turned on. He was panting in between kisses far more than Jughead and touching him more too. When Archie’s fingers trailed to the front of Jughead’s jeans, Jughead finally pulled back.

Archie looked at him, eyes full of worry. 

“I…” Jughead struggled for words, finally opting for the simplest explanation. “I’m asexual.”

Archie straightened up, concern vanishing from his eyes and understandment replacing it. “Oh, that… makes a lot of sense, actually.”

“Yeah… It’s kinda why I decided to, er, unfriend you.”

Archie nodded. “I’m sorry, if I ever made you uncomfortable.”

Jughead shrugged. “It’s okay, now. I guess.”

“So…” Archie shoved his hands into his pockets. “Do you like kissing or…?”

“I think I like kissing,” Jughead replied. “But maybe not in the rain.”

Archie laughed at that, showing obvious agreement. “You wanna head to my place? It’s closer and my dad is probably already asleep.”

“Okay,” Jughead said. “But I don’t feel like walking.” He leaped onto Archie’s back for a piggyback ride. Archie nearly toppled over, but regained his balance quickly, laughing as he did. 

And so, the two boys walk farther into the dark night and pouring rain, their hearts thumping in unison and grins plastered onto their faces.

**Author's Note:**

> Short and sweet! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. I might write a part two if enough want it! My tumblr is [ skyroseblog! ](http://skyroseblog.tumblr.com) I'm open to a chat there anytime!


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